VILLANOVA, Pa.—The all-time series between a pair of longtime foes will be renewed on Saturday evening when No. 15 Villanova (2-1) hosts Bucknell (0-3) in its final regular season non-conference game.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Villanova Stadium, with the game one of several Family Weekend events taking place on campus. 
 
Saturday's game will be the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Bison in 13 years, with the teams last facing each other in Lewisburg early in the 2005 season.  Villanova leads the all-time series, 12-11-2, although all but four of the previous 25 matchups took place between 1900 and 1945.  Since the Wildcats became an FCS member in 1985, they own a 32-4 record against Patriot League opponents. 
 
One of the key areas to look out for on Saturday evening is the performance of the Villanova defense against the Bucknell running game.  Dating back to the start of the 2013 season, the Wildcats have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards in a game on 27 occasions.  That includes 15 times where Villanova kept its opponent below 50 yards on the ground, compared with only three times that the Wildcats gave up more than 200 rushing yards.  The defense for Villanova will meet a Bison offense which has averaged just 75.7 rushing yards per contest through the first three weeks of the season. 
 
Leading the way for the Wildcats defense this season has been true freshman Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.), who leads the team with 22 total stops and is coming off his first double-digit tackle game against Towson last week.  Benford recorded 11 tackles against the Tigers to become the first Villanova player since 2011 to reach double digits within the first three games of his career. 
 
Both the Wildcats and Bucknell will take the field on Saturday night looking to bounce back from losses.  Villanova was dealt a 45-35 loss by Towson in its home opener last week, while the Bison have fallen to William & Mary, Sacred Heart and Penn in their first three contests of the 2018 season. 
 
There was plenty that went right for the Wildcats despite the final outcome against the Tigers last weekend.  Villanova topped the 30-point mark offensively for the second straight game and recorded its best passing performance since 2002.  Senior quarterback Zach Bednarczyk (Wallington, N.J.) threw for a career-high 389 yards and tied a career high with four touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Jarrett McClenton (Bensalem, Pa.) became the Wildcats first player since 2005 to top 100 receiving yards in consecutive games. 
 
McClenton had identical totals of six catches for 114 yards in each of the last two games against Lehigh and Towson while totaling three touchdowns in the two-game stretch. Bednarczyk is currently second among all FCS quarterbacks with 10 touchdown passes on the season, while McClenton's four touchdown receptions are tied for seventh nationally and first in CAA Football.  Senior running back Aaron Forbes (Newburgh, N.Y.) achieved a rare feat versus the Tigers when he reeled off a 52-yard rush and also caught a 50-yard pass.  He is the first Villanova player in at least 15 years to record a rush and a reception of at least 50 yards in the same game. 
 
After facing Bucknell on Saturday evening, the Wildcats will have seven straight CAA Football contests looming on the rest of the regular season schedule.  Villanova plays its next two games on the road at Stony Brook (September 29, 6 p.m.) and Maine (October 6, 3:30 p.m.) before returning home against James Madison on October 13.